Never Let Go
by Tears of Ebon-Grey
Summary: It was inevitable really. Dad had told me in no uncertain terms to stay away from him. But – well, I am my mother’s daughter. You can’t blame a girl for being curious... - Rose/Scorpius One-Shot -
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Here is my attempt at a Scorpius/Rose one-shot. I was working on my main story, A Clandestine Reality (Draco/Hermione) but this just popped into my head and I had to write it down on paper. In this one-shot I've tried a new approach. Where you see _italics_ it is Rose writing in her diary and normal text relates to flashbacks **except at the end. **

I hope you all enjoy this and please give me your honest opinions. It is not my favourite piece of writing, so I am hesitant to post it. Hopefully it isn't as bad as I'm imagining it to be.

* * *

**.: Never Let Go :.**

_It's strange to think that in the seven years I've been here, not a single thing has changed. The portraits still clamour aimlessly for gossip, chattering amongst themselves about the latest scandal. The professors are no better. Oh, they may seem uninterested to the untrained eye. But behind closed doors they are just as bad, if not more so than the rest of the school. I can't blame them though. If my life were filled with the same tedious task of teaching day in and day out, I too would be far more interested in meaningless gossip. I suppose it adds an air of mystique to their generally mundane social lives._

_Normally it wouldn't bother me. Why should I care if Professor Vector finds my cousin Al's sex life interesting? Well, I would care to a degree. After all, Albus is my cousin and the thought of the Hogwarts staff gossiping behind his back is slightly disturbing. But nevertheless, on a normal day I wouldn't care. Then again, on a normal day no one would be talking about _me.

_I'd like to think that I am a fairly sociable person, but the fact is, I'm not. I prefer books to people, which is kind of sad. But at least you know they won't turn on you, or stab you in the back. My cousin Fred thinks I'm a bookworm, but then so does most of my family. Lily and Hugo are the popular ones and as far as I'm concerned, they needn't worry about their titles being stolen by Al and I._

_No one really pays much attention to us, which is fine. Al is Quidditch captain of his team, which is about as socially high as he is going to get. He is like me though. Al prefers the quiet compared to Lily's attention seeking fuss. I know it is a little harsh of me to talk about my cousin the way I am. But I suppose it has something to do with the fact that she is currently fluttering her eyes like an idiot at my boyfriend and best friend. Of course, she doesn't _know_ he is my boyfriend (or friend for that matter) but that is beside the point. I guess the gossip mill is running a little low today, Lily generally knows everything within a matter of minutes. Even the professors know…_

_It was inevitable really. Dad had told me in no uncertain terms to stay away from him. But – well, I am my mother's daughter. You can't blame a girl for being curious. _

It seemed that nearly every compartment was full. That or it was filled with more than one unfriendly face. James had roped Al and Fred into sitting with him and his friends, they hadn't even asked her. But she supposed that that had something to do with her mother. They were most likely going to be experimenting on Al and Fred with some new and completely dangerous spell they'd invented over the holidays. And James would rather die than face her mother's wrath…they all would. Aunt Ginny was nothing in comparison.

She had tried to warn them, but the eldest Potter had dragged her other cousins away before she could get a word in edgewise. Al should have known better than to trust his brother, James was a regular prankster and every bit the rascal his grandfather had been. With a name like James Sirius, how could you not be? Rose knew that she should be thankful for the reprieve. After all, the last time James had turned his eye on her she'd had purple hair for weeks. The truth was that she was nervous and any familiar face was better than nothing.

With a heavy sigh, Rose knocked on another closed compartment door before sliding it open to see if there were any seats available. To her surprise, there were. The blonde boy her father had pointed out on the platform sat with his forehead pressed against the window, nonchalantly watching the scenery pass. She didn't know whether to ask if she could sit down, or go back into the corridor and try to find another free compartment. He seemed harmless enough.

"Hi," said Rose, nervously biting her lower lip. Maybe she should have listened to her dad. He wouldn't have told her to stay away from him for no reason.

Tilting his head slightly, the boy looked at her through narrowed eyes. "You're a Weasley," he stated quietly, an almost baffled expression on his face.

"So?" she snapped hotly, her anger bristling.

"So, aren't all Weasleys supposed to hate me? I thought, considering who my father is, that all of you would rather face a mountain troll than come anywhere near me," the boy smiled bitterly at her, turning his attention back to the scenery outside before she even had the chance to reply.

Rose realised that if her father ever found out, she would be dead within the blink of an eye. But there was little chance of her finding another compartment and this boy seemed to be of an okay sort. She actually felt a little sorry for him. He was alone, just like her.

"Who told you that?" she asked curiously, struggling with her trunk as she walked inside and closed the door behind her, plopping into the seat opposite him when she was done.

"My father," he looked at her strangely. "All Weasleys hate Malfoys and vice versa; that's just the way it is,"

"Well, I think that that is just plain silly. How can I hate you when I don't even know you?" Rose asked, tying her hair back with the ribbon her mother had given before boarding the train. She hated her hair. It was curly and completely unmanageable, not to mention bright red. Along with her pale skin – which was thankfully spared of freckles unlike her cousin Fred's – and dark brown eyes, she was in a word, forgettable. Lily was the pretty one in the family, not her.

"I don't know," the boy answered truthfully, shrugging his shoulders.

"My dad _did_ tell me to stay away from you," at this he seemed to shrink back. "But I don't see why I should. You seem nice enough to me,"

Rose smiled brightly at him, noticing how he began to visibly relax at her words. Her mother had told her to be open-minded when it came to meeting new people and not to listen to what anyone else said about them, especially where this boy was concerned. She didn't understand why her father seemed to be so against him, or his father for that matter. From what she could tell, he was just like any other kid her age.

"You know, my dad told me he and your mum used to be friends? He pointed her out on the platform," he said, pushing his pale blonde hair out of his eyes.

"My mum never told me that," Rose frowned, wondering why she hadn't confided this to her. Perhaps it had something to do with her father.

The boy smiled. "He said they were _secret_ friends,"

"Really?" she asked, frowning thoughtfully. "Maybe _we_ can be secret friends too,"

Her father could never know. If he ever found out – well, she didn't want to imagine what the consequences would be. It could be quite fun having a secret friend. She would tell Albus, of course. He was her best friend and she rather thought that he would like this boy. _A secret friend_, she smiled at the thought. This would be something she could have, something all hers.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy," he said, extending his hand.

"Rose Weasley,"

_I still can't understand what my father has against Scorpius. Sure, I can understand some of his reasoning now that I know certain things about the war. But that still doesn't justify his hatred. He has never even _met _Scorpius. That's all about to change, I suppose. When word hits Lily and she finally manages to get over the shock, the first thing she will do is tell my parents. She will probably be praying for my father to forbid me from seeing him, that way it will give her a fighting chance – or at least that's what she thinks._

_My mother's reaction could be something else entirely. It hadn't bothered me when Scorpius had told me about his father and my mother being friends. I guess it was my naivety back then that made me believe that having a secret friend was a common occurrence. To say that I was shocked when I found out the truth is a gross understatement. I suppose that it is kind of ironic that Scorpius and I ended up together. After all, history seems to be repeating itself. _

_I still find it hard to imagine my mother with any man other than my father. It is strange to think that she and Scorpius' father were an item, much like we are now. Secret and unsuspected; they probably hid in the same alcoves as Scorpius and I, talked in hushed whispers when no one was watching and craved any moment they had alone together. My mother's diary had said that she'd been confused even after the war. I wonder if he had showed up at her wedding like she had secretly wished him to, would things have been different. For starters, would I be my father's daughter, or would I be his? If my mother had the chance, which would she wish me to be? _

_I know that I shouldn't have read her diary, even if it was from twenty something years ago. But she and dad have been having trouble lately and I had only wanted to help. I guess I thought that if I reminded her how much she had loved dad back when they were my age, things would go back to normal. Imagine my surprise when I realised she'd actually loved another. It doesn't matter now. All that matters is Scorpius and the fact that the whole school bar Lily know that we are an item. _

He was twenty minutes late. It shouldn't have surprised her, or even bothered her. Scorpius was the tardiest person she knew; he was never on time and if by some miracle he was, it was by accident. Sometimes she wondered if he did it on purpose; it wouldn't surprise her if he did. However, fashionably late or not, tonight it was getting on her nerves. She didn't exactly understand why it bothered her so much – he was her best friend and despite his many faults, she loved him just the way he was.

Perhaps Al had kept him back after training; he was a perfectionist, after all. It had surprised everyone when the sorting hat had proclaimed Al a Slytherin, most of all her father. He had been outraged by the very thought of his nephew being in Slytherin that Rose hadn't even considered telling him that the hat had almost placed her there as well. His reaction, she supposed, would have been something crossed between a floundering flobberworm and an enraged manticore. Still, her Weasley roots had won out and she was placed in Gryffindor. It wasn't until her Uncle Harry had told him that the sorting hat had very nearly placed him in Slytherin that her father shut up. What a day that had been.

The fact that Al and Scorpius were free to be friends out in the open did, to a degree, bother her. She supposed it had something to do with all the secrecy and sneaking around. It had been thrilling at the beginning – doing something she knew she shouldn't have been doing, let alone contemplating. But now that she was older, Rose was becoming tired of the constant lies she had to spin in order to see her best friend.

"Sorry I'm late, Rosie," looking up through narrowed eyes, she watched as her friend bustled through the door, seemingly out of breath.

"Did Al keep you back after practice?" she asked, standing up to seal the wooden door with a number of advanced charms to ensure that they wouldn't be found.

Scorpius grinned, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Nah, I ran into Leia Chang on the way," if it was possible, his grin widened. "You know how things are,"

Oh yes, she knew exactly how things worked where he was concerned. Scorpius, much like his father, had inherited the famous Malfoy charm, or rather arrogance as she liked to call it. He strutted around like he was the bee's knees, almost as if he owned the place. If he hadn't been her friend, Rose was sure that she would have hexed him into oblivion by now. All the girls swooned when he walked past, which was quite pathetic in her opinion. It was bad enough that he had to play the field the way he did, but to go from one girl to the next within a couple of days was pitiable.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Rose glared contemptuously at the blonde wizard, not even trying to control the anger in her voice. "So, you decided that a quickie was in order despite the fact that I was sitting here waiting for your sorry ass because – forgive me if I'm wrong – but we haven't seen each other since school break. I'm glad to know where I stand in the scheme of things,"

It wasn't so much that she was _jealous_, just peeved off that he would rather spend his time with _her_. The flirty little Ravenclaw, or _dim-witted piece of trash _as she had come to call her in her head, was the bane of her existence. Her mother was Cho Chang, the editor of Witch Weekly as she liked to boast, and despite her sweet, innocent little façade, Rose knew she was only after one thing – money. First her cousin James, then Al and now Scorpius; she was a little gold-digger.

"Don't be like that, Rosie. You know I'd rather spend time with you," Scorpius pouted, walking over and wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin atop her head. "If it's any consolation, it was just a quick snog,"

"That's beside the point!" she snapped, elbowing him in the stomach forcefully and spinning around when his arms fell away. "We've been best friends for six years, Scor, and you would rather spend time with that demonic trout than come and see me,"

"Demonic trout?" he asked with a puzzled expression on his face. "Rose, Chang is hardly a _demonic trout_; she's one of your friends!"

"Yes – well…"

"Rose, are you _jealous_?" a grin spread across his face.

"What?!" Rose exclaimed, an indignant fire in her eyes. "Of course I'm not jealous, you blabbering idiot. Why would I be jealous?!" If anything, the grin on Scorpius' face widened. "What are you grinning at? I told you, _I'm not jealous_,"

"Oh Rosie, Rosie, Rosie," Scorpius sighed, walking toward her. "You know I'd rather spend my hours sitting by the lake with you, watching as you study obsessively with your nose buried in some ridiculously large book," he wrapped his arms around her waist once more, burying his head into the crook of her neck.

Rose bit her lower lip, arms winding around his back. "Really?" she asked doubtfully, flushing slightly in retrospect of her actions.

"Absolutely," the blonde wizard pulled back, a tender smile on his face. "You're my Rosie, all hot-headed and unreasonable. Why wouldn't I want to spend time with you?"

There was no way she could stay mad at him now, not when he was smiling at her like that. He always knew the exact right thing to say to calm her down, which was an incredible feat on its own. Rose knew that one of her many character flaws was her temper. It was a harsh mix of both her mother's and father's; unreasonable and hot-headed, just like he had said. The truth was that she was a _little_ jealous of her friend Leia. She had long raven locks and impish-like features, combined with her intelligent banter and sweet temperament; Leia Chang was every guys dream. It had hurt to think that he would want Leia over her.

"Maybe I was a tad jealous," she admitted quietly, laying her head against his chest. "I can't help it, you know? It's like this light goes off in my head whenever Leia or anyone else goes near you. You're my best friend, Scor, and I guess I had this delusion that I would have you all to myself," pausing, she tilted her head up to look him in the eye. "Am I selfish for wanting that?"

"If you're selfish, then so am I," he smiled, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "Al had to restrain me when Dwight Finnigan kissed you the other day at the welcome feast,"

"I didn't kiss him back," Rose shifted so she was staring directly into his cool, silver-grey eyes.

"You didn't?" a shocked expression crossed his face. "But I thou –"

"How could I kiss him, Scor, when I'm hopelessly smitten with someone else?" her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper but loud enough to be heard.

"Oh," his expression fell.

Rose smiled, albeit nervously. She had never been very good at expressing her emotions. "I meant you,"

Lifting a hand to cup the side of his face, Rose stared directly into his wide, shock filled eyes. She didn't know the exact moment when it happened, but during the summer holidays she'd had an epiphany of sorts. He had always been there for her, despite the many temper tantrums she had thrown over the years. Perhaps that was why she had taken to calling one of her closest friends a demonic trout. She loved him and had perceived Leia as a threat. Only time would tell if the risk she had taken just now, would pay off.

"I'm going to kiss you now, Rose," his voice came out hoarser than she had ever heard it before.

"I'm not trying to stop you,"

_He is looking at me now, pleading with his eyes from across the hall. I shouldn't find it funny, but I do. Only Lily would have enough gall to sit over at the Slytherin table, especially with the upcoming Quidditch match. But that's Lily for you; she is either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. I vote for the latter. It's not that I don't love her, because I do. In a way I'm obligated to care, being family and all. I guess I'm just tired of her (and every other sixth and seventh year girl) shamelessly flirting with my boyfriend. You would think that they would have caught on before now; a guy that good looking wouldn't stay single by choice. _

_I guess I am, in a way, happy that everything is out in the open now. No more sneaking around; it sounds like heaven. With heaven, however, there comes hell and telling my parents is certainly going to come close to that. I wonder what my mother will say…_

_Oh sod it! He's pulling that face again. I guess I had better go save him._

* * *

"I still can't believe that you won't be here next year, Scorpius," Lily's festering voice babbled on in his ear. "Hogwarts won't be the same without you,"

He could hear Al snort beside him, mimicking his sister's voice almost perfectly under his breath. Scorpius had to try to school his features and pretend to be listening attentively. It was quite amusing actually. The whole school was watching, sneaking glances at them and giggling. How Lily, Hogwarts' Queen of Gossip, didn't know about Rose and him, he had no idea. There was no easy way to let her down, not when she'd been clambering after him all year. Rose would know what to do.

Sneaking a glance at the Gryffindor table, he tried not to laugh. She was writing in that infernal diary again, her nose almost touching the paper as her quill scratched rapidly across the page. He didn't understand her need to write her feelings and thoughts in a book when he was perfectly capable of listening to them, not to mention the fact that he could actually respond to what she was saying. But Rose was Rose, and once she had something in her head there was no reasoning with her. She was also a creature of habit.

"You know, Scorpius, there's a Hogsmead trip coming up?"

Yes, he did know and he had every intention of spending the entire day with Rose. It wasn't that he didn't find Lily attractive, because he did. However, he was and intended to remain, a faithful boyfriend. He loved Rose, not Lily. Sure the youngest Potter was a knockout, but so was Rose. Lily had dark, almost blood red hair and light brown eyes. She had a few freckles splayed across her nose and small, fairy-like features. Rose, however, had the most gorgeous bright auburn curls. Merlin, he loved tangling his fingers in them! And her eyes, they were the darkest shade of brown he had ever seen. They reminded him of rich dark chocolate. His Rose didn't understand how beautiful she was.

"Scorpius, are you listening to me?"

_Merlin, how many times must she say my name?!_ he thought sourly, trying to catch Rose's attention from across the hall.

"What are you looking at?" Lily questioned, leaning closer to him to peer over his shoulder.

"Nothing," he sighed, scooting away from the flirtatious redhead. _You would think she would have taken the hint by now_.

Al snorted, taking a large bite of his toast. "Nothing my arse, mate," a couple of nearby Slytherins snickered in response.

"Don't be so vulgar, Albus Severus," scowled the redhead, flipping her hair over her shoulder angrily. "Or I might be inclined to write a strongly worded letter to our mother,"

"Oh, by all means Lily, do proceed," the darkhaired Potter smirked, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice. "After all, we wouldn't want to act like five year-olds, now would we?"

Quickly covering his laugh, Scorpius tried to feign a coughing fit, sneaking another glance at the Gryffindor table. She was looking at him now, a sly smile on her face. He just knew that she was getting a kick out of this. Her dark brown eyes were sparkling with amusement, lighting up her entire face. Merlin he loved her!

"Scorpius, don't you agree?" Al nudged him in the ribs, grinning like an idiot.

"Agree with what?" he asked, slightly dazed and confused. How long had he tuned out for?

His friend grinned, adjusting his glasses. "Little Lily here was just saying that _she_ believes Gryffindor are going to win the match today. I simply implied that if that were the case, she would have to be a better seeker than me, which obviously _isn't_ the case, wouldn't you agree?"

He didn't know whether to cast a very painful stinging hex at the smirking Potter, or turn and face the wrath of the other if he answered in the affirmative. Al had purposely trapped him in this situation – for his own amusement no doubt. Lily was, regrettably, a formidable opponent. If he pissed her off – well, Rose wouldn't be too happy if his _family jewels_ were suddenly indisposed, now would she? Hopefully she could get him out of this situation as neither Potter seemed to be backing down.

_Oh, thank Merlin!_ She was closing that infernal diary and packing her things up. He knew Rose wouldn't leave him hanging, not when her cousin was practically throwing herself at him. If Scorpius had had his way, then their relationship would have been out in the open much sooner. It was only by chance and bad luck – or perhaps it was good luck – that they had been found out. Professor Longbottom would probably never be the same again. After all, that position had been rather…amatory. He hadn't even known Rose could bend like that!

His father knew about them and much to his chagrin, so did his mother. Scorpius loved his mother – there was no doubt about that. But she was stuck in the old days and still held the firm belief that anything pureblood was superior. He knew his dad would support them despite the fact that Rose was Ron Weasley's daughter. If anything, his dad had a bit of a soft spot for her considering who her mother was. Of course, Rose didn't know that. She was likely to kill him for telling his parents before she was ready, but she could hardly blame him once he gave her his reasoning.

"Scorpi –" Lily was cut off as the sweet, melodic sound of his girlfriend's voice washed over them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but might I steal Scor for a couple of minutes?" she asked, smiling sweetly at her cousin.

"What!? Scor? Since when do you call him Scor?" the other witch asked incredulously, looking Rose up and down with a concentrated scowl.

"Well, dear sweet sister of mine, haven't you heard?" Al smirked, draping his arm around the annoyed witch.

"Heard what?" she asked, shrugging off Al's arm. "What haven't I heard?"

Knowing that things could soon get out of hand, Scorpius quickly stood up and took Rose's hand in his. The Great Hall was silent. "Come to give me a good luck kiss before the game, love?"

"Well, I don't know…" Rose grinned, catching onto what he was trying to do. It was better to let Lily see rather than hear. She wouldn't believe it any other way.

"_What_ is going on here? Scorpius? Rose?" Lily looked between the two of them, her face a mixture of horror and confusion.

Instead of answering, he just swooped down and captured Rose's lips with his. There was a distinctive shriek in the background, Lily's no doubt, but he didn't care. All that mattered was the goddess currently wrapped up in his arms.

Pulling back, Rose smiled contently up at him. "Let's go take a walk around the lake before the game?"

His only reply was a chaste kiss and a nod of affirmation. She didn't know it yet and neither did anyone else. Everyone probably thought that they wouldn't last, thought that it was just a fling. How wrong they were. He was going to marry her one day; it was inevitable really. After all, history had a way of repeating itself, but this time – this time he wouldn't make the same mistake his father had. Rose was his life and his love. He would never let go.


	2. Author's Note

First of all, I apologise. This isn't an update. Sorry!

As most of you will be able to tell, I have been absent for quite a while now. I wrote all of my stories back when I was eighteen and going through a bit of a rough patch. I am so unbelieveably grateful and amazed by the amount of support all of my stories have received. The fact that my coping mechanism has created something that so many people have enjoyed is so very humbling.

For some unknown reason, I had the urge to look at all my old stories last night. It was amazing what I found. People were still reading and reviewing after three years! I couldn't even fathom why. Surely my writing wasn't that spectacular. I've seen my writing, so it wasn't a stretch to believe.

I didn't even recognise my own writing when I read a snippet of some of my old works. I stopped writing three years ago. University was the main reason, and while I love uni and all that I have learned, it saddens me that my writing has suffered as a result.

It humbles me that people have continued to enjoy my stories. So, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so very much for reading and reviewing. I don't think you realise what it means to me, as an author, to know that even after three years my writing is still being enjoyed by others.

Cheers guys,

Tears of Ebon-Grey


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